Good Samaritan laws for off duty New Jersey RN's.
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Does anyone know.....
In the state of NJ, can an off duty RN legally administer benadryl to a stranger that is having an allergic reaction to a bee sting?
Also, after all is said and done,...
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I would have never administered a medication given to me by a third party to anyone; I don't care if the Pope handed it to me. If the man was able to give his medical history, state his allergies, had a patent airway and was able to swallow, then there was no real crisis. EMS was on the way; they would have been more than equipped to handle the situation if he'd developed full-blown anaphylaxis. The oral benadryl wouldn't really have had much time to do a whole lot for him if he'd really been in danger. If I'd have been with someone who'd gone into anaphylactic shock and I happened to have an epi-pen on me, I probably would have used it, but otherwise? No way would I ever give a stranger meds. That's stepping outside your scope of practice in several ways.

And I certainly would never, under any circumstances leave my cell phone number on that stranger's car. The potential for trouble here should be self-evident.

First; Benadryl, Tylenol, Motrin, and other OTC meds don't require prescriptions, and I've made them available to coworkers, friends, etc, always telling them I'm not a doctor and suggesting they see one ASAP.Second; the flaw in Good Samaritan laws is that they are passive. They don't protect you from being sued, they just give you a defense to use when you are sued.Third; My personal philosophy is to always make priorities of preserving life and minimizing suffering. It's easy to imagine all kinds of scenarios, but 30 years as a medic and Nurse, had I been sued, I'd feel comfortable facing a jury, no matter the scenario, and stand on those 2 priorities.

first; benadryl, tylenol, motrin, and other otc meds don't require prescriptions, and i've made them available to coworkers, friends, etc, always telling them i'm not a doctor and suggesting they see one asap.second; the flaw in good samaritan laws is that they are passive. they don't protect you from being sued, they just give you a defense to use when you are sued.third; my personal philosophy is to always make priorities of preserving life and minimizing suffering. it's easy to imagine all kinds of scenarios, but 30 years as a medic and nurse, had i been sued, i'd feel comfortable facing a jury, no matter the scenario, and stand on those 2 priorities.